Alpha Alpha, Inc. v. Southland Aviation

697 So. 2d 1364, 1997 WL 375390
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJuly 9, 1997
Docket96-928
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 697 So. 2d 1364 (Alpha Alpha, Inc. v. Southland Aviation) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Alpha Alpha, Inc. v. Southland Aviation, 697 So. 2d 1364, 1997 WL 375390 (La. Ct. App. 1997).

Opinion

697 So.2d 1364 (1997)

ALPHA ALPHA, INC. & Travelair Charters, Inc. d/b/a Travelair, Plaintiffs—Appellees,
v.
SOUTHLAND AVIATION, West Calcasieu Managing Board, et al., Defendants—Appellants.

No. 96-928.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit.

July 9, 1997.

*1366 John Michael Veron, Lake Charles, for Alpha Alpha, Inc. et al.

Kevin Richard Tully, Lance Read Rydberg, New Orleans, for Southland Aviation, et al.

Before SAUNDERS, PETERS and AMY, JJ.

PETERS, Judge.

This is a suit for property damage arising out of an incident in which a 1984 Fairchild 300 aircraft was driven by an unknown person or persons off of a paved ramp and into a ditch at Southland Field Airport in Sulphur, Louisiana, on or about January 2, 1994. The owner and the lessor of the aircraft brought suit to recover their damages from the owners and the manager of the airport and the airport's liability insurer. The trial court found the defendants liable for the plaintiffs' damages under the theory of deposit, and the defendants have appealed. The plaintiffs have answered the appeal, seeking additional compensation.

DISCUSSION OF THE RECORD

The aircraft involved in this litigation is a twin-engine turboprop aircraft manufactured by Fairchild Aircraft Company and is referred to as a Merlin. At the time of the incident, the aircraft was owned by Alpha Alpha, Inc. (Alpha), an Oregon corporation. Alpha had purchased the aircraft from Associated Aircraft Sales Co., Inc. (Associated) and had leased it to Travelair Charters, Inc. (Travelair), a corporation having a business office location at Hobby Airport in Houston, Texas. These corporations were closely interrelated, and Larry Barbernell was the sole shareholder and president of all three.

On December 30, 1991, the Merlin was flown from its normal location in Texas to Southland Field Airport in Sulphur, Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, for the sole purpose of avoiding payment of Texas ad valorem taxes that would otherwise be imposed at the beginning of the new year. Steven Weintraub, a sales representative for Associated, had previously visited Southland Field and made arrangements to bring several airplanes, including the Merlin, to the airport before the first of the year. According to Mr. Weintraub, he requested hangar space but was informed that the hangars were being remodeled and were not available. He testified that he then discussed with Catherine Miller Schreve, the airport manager at the time, the possibility of parking the airplanes on the ramp and explained to Ms. Schreve that the airplanes were expensive. *1367 According to Mr. Weintraub, Ms. Schreve assured him that the field was a secure one. Although Mr. Weintraub did not initially pay to park the airplanes at Southland Field, he testified that he and Ms. Schreve discussed that he would pay her for the tie-down fees when they returned to fly the aircraft back to Texas and that Ms. Schreve said, "Fine."

While Ms. Schreve acknowledged that hangar space was not available in late 1991 due to repair and renovation work, she testified that it was Mark Daigle, an airport lineman, who initially spoke to Mr. Weintraub. She did acknowledge, however, that she spoke to Mr. Weintraub at a later time concerning arrangements for the airplanes. Mr. Daigle also testified that he, and not Ms. Schreve, first spoke to Mr. Weintraub. Mr. Daigle testified that he told Mr. Weintraub that the airport had no established security, but he assured Mr. Weintraub that a parish deputy would patrol the area and would check the airport facility.

Ms. Schreve testified that she received a phone call from Mr. Daigle concerning his conversation with Mr. Weintraub. According to Ms. Schreve, Mr. Daigle informed her that Mr. Weintraub requested that the aircraft be parked on the south ramp but she instructed Mr. Daigle to offer the front ramp. Ms. Schreve also testified that in a later conversation, Mr. Weintraub did not ask her to provide any security for the airplanes and that Southland Field has never charged a tiedown fee for the storage of airplanes. She admitted, however, that Mr. Weintraub did tell her that he would discuss paying a tiedown fee or buying fuel at a later time. She testified that she simply smiled in response.

On December 30, 1991, the Merlin and two other aircraft were flown to Southland Field and were parked on the south ramp, which is the ramp farthest from the airport buildings. The testimony is conflicting on whether the pilots chose the south ramp or whether they were directed there by airport personnel. Additionally, the testimony is conflicting on whether any of the airplanes were tied down. An airport lineman did chock the wheels of all three aircraft. Mr. Weintraub testified that he personally secured each aircraft before he left the airport and that when he left they were locked.

Southland Field is a public-use airport. The West Calcasieu Port, Harbor and Terminal District (West Calcasieu) and the Industrial Development Board of the City of Sulphur (Development Board) own the airport. The West Calcasieu Airport Managing Board d/b/a Southland Aviation (Southland Aviation) manages the airport. United States Fire Insurance Company (USFIC) is the general liability insurer for the airport.

At the time the Merlin arrived, the airport's normal operating hours were from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., but the runway was open twenty-four hours a day. Because the runway was open at all times, access to and from the airport was always available through an unlocked pedestrian gate. However, no airport personnel were employed to remain on the premises after 10:00 p.m. The airport's night security consisted of fencing and outside lighting. Additionally, the airport relied on the routine patrols conducted throughout the parish by the sheriff's department. On either the night of January 2, 1992, or the morning of January 3, 1992, an unknown individual or individuals entered the Merlin, started it, and ran it into a ditch. The Merlin remained at Southland Field after the incident, and on May 26, 1992, it was again entered and vandalized by an unknown person or persons.

In this suit, Alpha and Travelair named West Calcasieu, the Development Board, Southland Aviation, and USFIC as defendants. Prior to filing this suit, Alpha and Travelair had filed suit in Texas against the insurer of the aircraft, United States Aircraft Insurance Group (USAIG).[1] Chase Manhattan Bank, which originally financed the purchase of the aircraft, was also a party to that litigation. In the Texas suit, the plaintiffs sought to recover not only for the damage to the Merlin but also punitive damages under Texas law for the alleged bad faith handling of the claim by USAIG. This suit was ultimately *1368 settled with USAIG paying $1,400,000.00, being the policy limit. Chase Manhattan Bank received $1,100,000.00 of that amount, and Alpha and Associated received the remaining $300,000.00.

Subsequent to the Texas settlement, the emphasis of the litigation shifted to the Louisiana action. After a bench trial, the Louisiana trial court concluded, among other things, that the defendants were compensated depositaries and that they failed to exonerate themselves from liability. The trial court then awarded the plaintiffs damages for the cost of repair, the loss of use, and the traumatic depreciation of the aircraft. The damages award totaled $510,384.61.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
697 So. 2d 1364, 1997 WL 375390, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/alpha-alpha-inc-v-southland-aviation-lactapp-1997.